Current methods for watering lawns and/or gardens include underground irrigation systems fluidly interconnected to a number of sprinkler heads that are configured to spray water from the irrigation system over the lawns and/or gardens. For instance, pop-up sprinkler units or heads (e.g., stationary, gear-driven) are particularly convenient because they are embedded in the ground when not in use. Generally, a pop-up sprinkler head includes a cylindrical outer casing or body, a cylindrical inner tubular housing (e.g., stem, riser) concentrically mounted in the outer casing, a retaining cap threadably mounted onto the outer casing and which generally prevents the inner housing from being completely separated from the outer casing, and a spring that urges the inner housing back into the outer casing in the absence of a water pressure so that the top of the inner housing (e.g., adjacent the nozzle) is generally flush with the top of the retaining cap, among other components. The bottom of the outer casing includes an inlet that is fluidly interconnected to an irrigation or water line (e.g., tube, pipe) running underground underneath the sprinkler head.
Over time, the ground level often tends to rise with respect to a pop-up sprinkler head (e.g., due to thatch, twigs, and/or other debris falling onto the lawn and eventually settling down towards the roots of the grass). As a result, spray performance of the pop-up sprinkler head may be inhibited (e.g., due to the nozzle of the inner housing not being able to extend past the top of grass, debris falling into the nozzle or other portions of the sprinkler head, and the like). As a result, it is often necessary to remove the sprinkler head (i.e., both the inner housing and outer casing of the sprinkler head), secure (e.g., threadably) one or more riser tubes (e.g., nipples) to the inlet of the outer casing and/or to the underground water line, and then re-secure the sprinkler head to the water line so as to raise the level of the head with respect to the ground.
Addition of the riser tube(s) allows the inner housing nozzle to fully extend past the top of the grass and avoid decreased spray performance. However, removal of a pop-up sprinkler head, addition of one or more riser tubes, and then re-installation of the pop-up sprinkler head is often a time consuming and laborious process. For instance, current sprinkler head removal tools and systems limit the ability of sprinkler technicians and other personnel to efficiently remove and replace a large number of pop-up sprinkler heads in a time-efficient manner.